In our September Newsletter, we announced nearly 50 new Fellows and Advisors as part of our our reset of AI and Faith community from a single level of multidisciplinary experts to five new roles for engaging faith perspectives on AI ethics. Since then we have continued to invite our original Founding Experts as well as other experts who have come to our attention into roles in our new think tank, the Institute for Faith Perspectives on AI Issues (IFPAI); as Contributing Fellows and Contributing Experts for our “Channel” into the broader AI ethics discussion; and Advisors to help us focus on particular specialty topics and connect with organizational partners. In addition, we’ve started adding Partners to our original group of Founding Partners which were all organizations in the Pacific Northwest where we launched.
We’re excited to announce three new Contributing Fellows and Experts, 15 new Advisors and the first three of a considerably larger number of anticipated new organizational Partners. These additions mean that nearly 90% of our original Founding Experts have now transitioned into new roles within our 3.0 Reorganization, as well as a substantial number of experts new to AI and Faith.
New Contributing Fellows and Experts
Contributing Fellows lead four teams who generate Content; help to produce and staff internal and external Programs; enhance our Communications capability to ensure our work is viewed and read broadly; and support our Network of Partners and other external connections. Contributing Experts participate in these teams and help to shape the work. In addition to our seven previously announced Contributing Fellows, we welcome:
- Thomas Arnold (Programs) is a Research Associate at the Human-Robot Interaction Lab at Tufts University and also a lecturer in the Computer Science Department there. His work at Tufts focuses on the ethical evaluation and design of AI systems for interactive contexts, including how moral norms will shape how social robots are judged. Thomas also holds a masters of theological studies from Harvard Divinity School, and is nearing completion of his PhD dissertation there.
- Thomas Osborn (Communications) has a keen interest in technology that enhances spiritual transformation via deeper teacher and learner engagement. He brings to AI & Faith extensive experience in business strategy and management, and technology consulting. He is currently a senior consultant in Point B Consulting’s Seattle office.
- Nassor Salum (Content Team Expert) is a lawyer and a member of the firm’s business law and banking and finance practice groups at downtown Seattle law firm Helsell Fetterman. Nassor immigrated to the U.S. from Zanzibar, Tanzania and grew up in Bellevue, Washington. Nassor graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 and earned his law degree from the Seattle University School of Law in 2020.
New Advisors
Advisors bring knowledge and experience from particular disciplines to advise the Board and Fellows, provide occasional content and fill speaking roles, and maintain valuable ties to Partner organizations and their own networks. Some Advisors are also members of the Research Advisory Board (RAB) that advises the Research Director and Fellows of IFPAI. We welcome the following experts who have become AI&F Advisors since our announcement in September, both from our Founding Experts ranks and from outside AI&F:
- Keith Barrows (communications and development) is a Senior Advisor for The Future Society, a nonprofit think-and-do tank which advances the global governance of Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies. He brings to AI&F a knowledge of entities engaged in AI governance on a global scale, as well as over 20 years of non-profit leadership, fundraising, education, and legal experience in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
- Danny Chai (computer science) is a software engineer with 20 years of experience working in a variety of Silicon Valley start-ups and large scale tech companies, including Yahoo and Facebook. Danny’s most recent role was as Vice President of Engineering at LogDNA, a multicloud log management solution.
- Saskia de Vries (neuroscience research) is an Assistant Investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science where her research centers on how the brain transforms sensory information into perception and behavior. Saskia received her Ph.D. from Harvard.
- Francis Djirackor (telecommunications and IT) has worked in telecommunications and IT engineering in Ghana and Kenya since 1995. He recently left his role as the Executive Director of Elris Communications Services Ltd, providing professional services in the telecommunications, broadcast and IT space in Nairobi. Francis is a leader at CITAM Ministries, a dynamic collection of four large Christian congregations in Kenya’s capital.
- Shannon French (military ethics) is the Inamori Professor in Ethics and the Director of the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Previously, Professor French taught for 11 years at the US Naval Academy as a tenured member of the Ethics department and Associate Chair of the division of Leadership, Ethics, and Law.
- David Kim (faith and work integration) is the CEO and co-founder of Goldenwood. Over the past several decades, Rev. Dr. Kim has trained, consulted, and counseled hundreds of leaders and organizations in developing a robust, meaningful integration of faith and work. He previously served as VP of Faith and Work with Redeemer City to City, Executive Director of the Center for Faith & Work and Director of the Gotham Fellowship, all at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC. He is editor of the NIV Faith and Work Bible.
- Chris Lim (computer science) leads TheoTech and created its chief product io, a platform where humans and AI collaborate to deliver real time translations of live events. He formerly served as a software engineer at Amazon.
- Vikram Modgil (computer science) is a Seattle based AI/ML expert and founder of Pi Square (PiSquare.ai), a machine-learning startup specializing in AR/VR/XR, synthetic voice (called NeuraVoice) and intelligent automation (RPA). Since the early 00’s, Vikram has been in executive leadership team of multiple unicorn startups & multi-billion dollar corporations.
- Brenda Ng (health care research and product strategy) is the Director of Research for Providence Health Systems. She was previously principal and founder of The Trio Group, specializing in customer-driven business and marketing insights for a wide range of technology companies, and a senior executive for consumer and competitive insights at Microsoft and T-Mobile.
- Mois Navon (computer science, Jewish philosophy and theology) is a doctoral student at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel. His thesis “The Moral Status of AI” seeks to understand how humans should interact, morally, with humanoids – be they mind-less or mind-ful. His research combines his rabbinic background in moral philosophy as well as his technical experience of 35 years as a computer design engineer.
- Michael Paulus (information science) is University Librarian, Assistant Provost for Educational Technology, and Director and Associate Professor of Information Studies at Seattle Pacific University. His administrative, teaching, and scholarly interests focus on the history and future of information and communication technologies.
- Michael Sacasas (media and community) is the Associate Director for Educational Programmingat the Christian Study Center of Gainesville, Florida and an Associate Fellow in Ethics and Culture at the Greystone Theological Institute. He writes The Convivial Society, a regular newsletter on technology and society
- Ann Skeet (technology ethics) is Senior Director for Leadership Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Her work focuses on the ethical dilemmas of leaders and followers, the ethical challenges of governance and the ways executives can shape and reinforce organizational cultures that encourage ethics. She is a member of the steering committee for the Responsible Use of Technology at the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the 4th Industrial Revolution and the Partnership on AI’s Labor and the Economy working group.
- Douglas Strong (history and theology) is Professor the History of Christianity at Seattle Pacific University and the former Dean of SPU’s School of Theology. Professor Strong’s field of study is American religious history. He is especially interested in comparing religious movements’ historical engagement of technology with their potential influence on the complex, global environment of AI-powered technology today.
- Joshua Swamidass (health research, genomics) is a scientist, physician, and associate professorof laboratory and genomic medicine at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). He leads a research group that uses artificial intelligence to explore science at the intersection of medicine, biology, and chemistry, and is the founder of Peaceful Science, a new Partner of AI&F.
- Paul Taylor (theology and technology development) is a teaching pastor and elder at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California. He explores the intersection of technology and theology through his blog and podcast at Allthingsnew.tech. Paul worked for Oracle Corporation as a Senior Product Manager designing software solutions before entering the ministry.
New Partners
From the outset, AI and Faith has sought to work as a “network of networks”, working in conjunction with the organizations which its Founding Experts help to lead to cooperatively amplify the voices of faith-oriented technology and faith leaders in the ethics discussion around AI for human flourishing. As part of our 3.0 Reorganization, we are renewing this effort to connect with other organizations and networks. Our commitment is to publicize each other’s work where relevant in our publications, like our Newsletter; look for synergistic opportunities for fruitful engagement together in conference and programs; and cross fertilize ideas and connections.
We are delighted to welcome the following organizations as new AI and Faith Partners:
- AI Theology is a gateway into the burgeoning field of AI and Spirituality. It introduces curious entrants into the space by tracking latest developments, summarizing trends, encapsulating emerging ideas, and posting original reflections to inspire new pathways of dialogue. AI Theology’s founder is Elias Kruger, who has also been an early Founding Expert of AI and Faith, and is now an Advisor. Several other AI&F Advisors also actively participate as part of this team.
- Interfaith Business Network (IBN) is a network of business students, working professionals, educators, and organizations committed to advancing religious, spiritual, and secular identities as part of the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at business schools and corporations around the world. Co-founders Angela Luo (Marshall School of Business, USC) and Breanne White (Wharton) also host a podcast on Spotify. An article by Angela about the work of IBN is a feature in this month’s AI&F Newsletter.
- Peaceful Science, founded by AI&F Founding Expert and new Advisor Dr. Joshua Swamidass, is a partnership with Washington University of St. Louis seeking to advance science by together engaging the grand question: What does it mean to be human? It’s mission is to advance a civic practice of science b seeking dialogue in discord and understanding across disagreements, and fostering interdisciplinary scholarship engaged with science and the public.
- Religious Freedom and Business Foundation is the preeminent organization dedicated to educating the global business community, policymakers, non-government organizations and consumers about the positive power that faith — and religious freedom for all (including those with no religious faith) — has on business and the economy. RFBF is the sponsor and originator of the Annual Faith ERG Summit to promote the establishment of faith employee resource groups and chaplaincies in corporations, including large technology companies, a Summit in which AI&F has actively promoted engagement of faith ERGs with technology ethics.
Further connections are in the works. If you are interested in applying for any of these roles, or developing a potential partnership between your organization and AI and Faith, please contact administrator@aiandfaith.org.
